FPL hosts dozens of South Florida municipalities for first-ever vegetation and power line safety expo

Demonstration of 7,200 volts of electricity highlighted the importance of keeping trees at a safe distance from power lines

News provided by

Florida Power & Light Company

Jan 29, 2014, 12:00 ET

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced that representatives from approximately 30 municipalities located throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties attended the company's first-ever vegetation and power line safety expo. The event, which occurred in Deerfield Beach, included a demonstration of the impact of 7,200 volts of electricity – the equivalent of 600 times the voltage in a typical car battery – to illustrate the importance of planting trees far away from power lines.

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"At FPL, there is absolutely nothing more important than safety, and in particular, the safety of our customers," said Manny Miranda, vice president of power delivery for FPL. "We want our customers to understand that they play a meaningful role in helping to prevent injuries and improve electric service reliability. The first step in creating that understanding is awareness, particularly as it relates to planting trees as far away from power lines as possible."

During the safety expo held at Quiet Waters Park, attendees witnessed tree limbs, metal materials and rubber gloves coming into contact with 7,200 volts of electricity; observed proper landscaping that can enhance electric reliability particularly around trees growing near power lines, which is a leading cause of power outages and flickers; and received free power line safety information that can be shared with their constituents.

"Trees that grow too close to power lines are a leading cause of electricity outages and can create unsafe situations for our customers and crews," said Miranda. "Since 2006, FPL has cleared vegetation from more than 100,000 miles of power lines throughout our 35-county service area. While we've made tremendous progress in this area, we must continue to educate all of our stakeholders about the need for safety when it comes to trees and our electric system."

FPL reminds its customers to follow these tips when working outdoors:

Keep tools and equipment more than 10 feet away from neighborhood overhead power lines and at least 35 feet from larger high-voltage overhead lines;
Always hire qualified professionals to trim trees near overhead power lines;
Call 911 and 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) immediately if an overhead power line is down or looks hazardous;
Call 811 at least two full business days before beginning any project that requires digging, including planting trees, to have underground utility lines marked;
Plant trees so their canopies at maturity are at least 10 feet from overhead power lines; and
Professionally remove trees that may become a problem.

Additional safety and tree-planting tips are available at FPL.com/safety and FPL.com/trees.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities. As of year-end 2012, its typical residential customer bills are the lowest in Florida, and based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company